horrific

adjective

hor·​rif·​ic hȯ-ˈri-fik How to pronounce horrific (audio)
hä-
: having the power to horrify
a horrific account of the tragedy
horrifically adverb

Examples of horrific in a Sentence

horrific images of the devastation spurred many people to give generously
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is not just a victory for her, but for every single survivor of the horrific crimes perpetrated by Epstein and his co-conspirators. Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025 The violence at the end of episode four is horrific and all these wheels are in motion and all the different story lines are starting to converge. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025 One patient had suffered a horrific motorcycle injury and eventually tapered off opioids with the help of cannabis. NPR, 20 Oct. 2025 Arsenic and Old Lace moves at a breathless pace with our leading man's escalating horrific discoveries. Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for horrific

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Latin; French horrifique, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin horrificus "inspiring awe or dread, frightening," from horrēre "to be stiffly erect, bristle, shudder, shiver" + -i- -i- + -ficus -fic — more at horror entry 1

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of horrific was in 1653

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Horrific.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horrific. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on horrific

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!